My little girls 1956 Dodge Pickup

Done a few little things, nothing major, but things none the less. Got the brake lights working again so thats cool. And the wiper motor was no issue at all. Pulled it apart and the copper connector for the park switch was bent. Bent it back and it all works as it should. Got the washer reservoir mounted but still haven't plumbed the sprayers. I have a set, but I don't think their what I want so I'll wait to drill any holes till I decide. Oh, and fixed the transmission dipstick so that it will stop leaking all over my recently cleaned carport...that was a big one to me. I need to get a new accelerator pump (the one in my rebuild kit was not the right one) but in the meantime I have adjusted mine where the truck at least doesn't fall flat on it's face when you jump the throttle. Of course, when you do, you get the loud tapping from the motor. I pulled the valve cover and didn't see anything out of whack on the top and don't have the inclination to pull the head right this minute so...just living with it for now. It really is annoying though.

So, as always, there is plenty left to do, but I have a couple of questions for you guys. First, where the hell would I find the VIN on this thing? It's not where I thought it should be, but what do I know. Second, I'm still fighting with the height of the ass end. I want to pull another spring to get it down a little more, but I don't want it to drag when I load it up at the Home Depot. What do you guys think about air shocks? And last, the more I drive it, the more I'm thinking I need to add power steering. Any ideas? I know in 57 power steering became an option but I can't seem to even find any pictures to determine if it would bolt up or not. I'm not married to that idea though. Pretty much any power steering box that would mount to the outside of the frame like my manual box would probably work. Anyway, just looking for some ideas.

 

The VIN is on the drivers side firewall up high. I'm guessing it's gone or you would have seen it.

I flipped my rear shackles and kept all of the springs for a nice stiff ride. I don't know if that would be an option for you. It lowered the rear end about 5 -6 inches.
[edit] doing this will change your pinion angle a lot so you may need shims.

 

Damn...that is so simple but I just walked out and did some measuring and think its going to be too much. Even if I did have both springs for each side to put back in (keep in mind one was broke) I think it might be more than I want. I'm only looking for 1 1/2" to 2" I think (That's what she said...). I have a couple of ideas I'm going to try for now, but am really leaning toward pulling another spring and going with adjustable air shocks or air bags for the long run. I'm not looking for something I can constantly change like allot of low riders you see out there, but something adjustable so that I can get a good ride height and cushy ride for daily diving and cruising and then stiffen it up when I want to use it for hauling. Have you messed with the front springs on yours yet Internet?

 

Not yet. I need to finish the bed before I move to the front of the truck. I will need to modify my pan when I lower it. That's still a ton less work than an IFS swap though.

 

Hmmm...well I've been working pretty steady on her, just not a whole lot to show for it. I don't recall exactly what the hell I was doing but I decided to fix one little thing on the back brakes on Friday. Well, that somehow turned into a complete brake job. Which in theory is pretty straight forward, but after running around finding parts, going back to the parts store for a stupid steel brake line that decided to start leaking after I was done, shopping for some other pieces for other projects while I'm at the parts store, etc. etc., I finally finished it up last night. Of course I had big plans for today to remove the bed and start buffing so I can try to get it all one color, but of course that didn't work out. I started the morning working on the wipers (still trying to get the linkages dialed in) and of course needed about $3.00 worth of parts so, off to the store. Got happy enough with those for now (or just tired of working on them) and moved onto to the next thing. I decided I would have a look at the external regulator for the alternator (it has never worked) and thought maybe I found the problem. So, off to Radio Shack for a resistor. Got that on and the alternator charges now...ALOT. Like 17 Volts. So...back to the drawing board on that one. So, to hell with it..."I'm buffing/sanding something today!" Yeah...right up to the point that the shaft on my grinder sheared off sending the 4" wire cup wheel spinning freely at roughly 11,000 RPM's (refer to lessons learned in one of my earlier post). One more time, it's off to the store.

I'm calling it a day on this one. Going to have some pizza, watch a movie and contemplate the fact that what I really wanted to do when I got up this morning was go to "Billetproof". Guess I made the wrong decision.

Anybody that did go however, please feel free to let me know what a wonderfull time you had. Dicks.

 

Finally, some visible changes...and proof that there is a little girl (well, teenage, but forever little to me) involved. The body is far from perfect and could certainly use a visit to a professional. But with deployment quickly approaching and it actually reaching a point that it can be driven, I figured what the hell, lets get it all one color. I started with a wire buffer, and that really didn't do too much damage to the 50 year old paint so I switched to a flapper wheel. It was working, but painfully slow. I finally went with some chemical paint remover and it actually worked quite well. Knowing that eventually I will get it to a pro for proper body and paint work I didn't worry about the body as much as I did the interior and settled for "kinda smooth" when it was all said and done (I'm definitely lacking in the body work skills department). And then it was finally time to lay down some primer:


A visual reminder of what the project is really all about.




"Do as I say, not as I do..." Damn kids.

Anyway, there she sits. Got the cab primed, the hood sanded, and the frame and underside of the hood sprayed with undercoating. I still need to throw some bondo in some small cancer spots but I'm hoping over the long 4th of July weekend we will finally get her back together and all dressed in black.

In the meantime, with the bed off I have a couple of things to do. I have another brake line I need to replace, no biggie, and I need to get the emergency/parking brakes hooked up. Along with the master cylinder I pulled out of the 70's GM van and used in the truck I also pulled the parking brake pedal and cable:


I think the pedal turned out pretty good and the cable is just the right length if it all goes together the way I'm picturing. I need to get a piece of angle iron and build a bracket that bolts to the rear end to bring it all together, but it's looking pretty positive...I'll get some pictures if it all works out. If not, I'll bitch about it, re-engineer it, and then get some pictures of it when it does work out.

 

Could that ticking be an exhaust leak? Ive seen it before. If it were me, I would put the stock wheels back on it with some wide whites when that time comes. Regardless, very cool project. I will be looking forward to updates.

 

Still having issues with the ticking. I have felt around and don't think it's an exhaust leak, but I guess it still could be. Sometimes when I drive it, it seems better than others. I pulled the valve cover, rockers and lifters and didn't see anything glaring at me and it really seems to be coming from a little deeper than the head. Maybe wrist pin? It only seems to get quite under no load, otherwise it ticks accelerating or decelerating. I'll either figure it out and fix it, it will break, or it will tick till I finally pull the motor, thats about the only choices. I still have one more trick up my sleeve for the easy fix and thats flushing the motor with keorsene/oil mix to make sure I don't have anything stuck (thanks 73RR for the guidance on that one). After that though, I'll probably just install a stereo so I can get rid of the engine ticking using the volume knob for now.

And I know, I know...the wheels. What can I say, I'm a product of the low profile school. However...I do have the old steel wheels and when money stops getting thrown at more important things on the truck I will probably clean them up and mount some decent tires on them (if for no other reason than for trips to things like Billetproof). But it's kinda like some of the other parts that have found themselves used on this project, a set of wheels and tires that hold air and have tread for $100 even if they aren't necessarily what I wold have choose just couldn't be passed up.

 

Awsome pics man, I like the truck...

 

What tranny?(Don't want to dig though the whole tread!)

 

Good question George...I'm pretty sure its a 727, but I guess it could be a 904. I haven't looked for any numbers on it, maybe I should do that.

 

easy way to find exhaust leak is to pour a little ATF down the carb at high idle and look for the smoke plus it will clean the valves of carbon buildup and help smooth out the idle.

 

Just a thought, some times one of the flex plate to torque converter nuts will loosen up if not lock-tighted, will go from a light tapping to sounding really serious.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. As soon as I get done with the painting and get all the paper and masking tape out of the engine compartment I will try the ATF thing and maybe even get real productive and split the tranny and the motor and check the torque converter bolts. I would be thrilled if I could get rid of the damn noise.

 

Checking the flexplate is a good idea. There are plenty of examples of cracked flexplates and they will also make a ticking noise. The cracks appear around the crank bolts and are usually obvious.
If you need to ID the trans, I have some info on my web site.
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Put a wrench on the crank bolt & turn it over by hand & check each one, no need to seperate.

 

Alright ya'll, I have been threating for awhile now, so here you go.

As you can see, the carport is empty:


And though it is definitely far from professional, it is all one color:


As I have stated on numerous occasions before, I am by no means a body guy, and my painting expertise has been limited to very industrialized stuff usually on a pretty small scale. The kind of thing that you painted only to make it look nice when you shipped it out the door knowing it's destiny was to spend it's life drilling through hard rock. But in the right light, and if you squint your eyes, from about twenty feet away, it looks alright. Just remember to squint your eyes and stand about twenty feet from your computer screen:






And I did finally get the emergency/parking brake lined out. It worked out great with hardly any modification:


The intent is to have a gloss black strip down the middle. It will line up with the gloss on the grill, run up the middle of the hood, over the cab and then back down the back of the cab and the tailgate. It will also run through the cab down the dash, and the headliner and center console will be done in patent black leather so that it is gloss as well. It all looks pretty cool in my head, but we'll have to see how it all looks in real life.

 

And just in case your curious...yup, it's all Rustoleum. Flat, gloss, undercoat and primer. Some of it from a rattle can, and some of it sprayed with a gun. I figured at this point I knew it would be nowhere near professional and the paint was readily available, fairly cheap and I can touch it up easily. Maybe one of these days she'll get proper attention, maybe not. However, regardless of how you feel about it, you have to agree she's come along way:




Obviously, there is still allot of work to be done. I did get some seat belts installed, but they are simple lap belts for now (enough to keep the law off my ass) and will be updated to three point retractable before the little girl is the owner. I also managed to get the wipers working pretty good and actually have tested them, as in the Great Northwest, it's not that difficult to catch a rainy day even in the middle of July. I still need to finish the bed, come up with bumpers, install interior and entertainment (music is a must), and...blah blah blah. It's never ending and only a little depressing to sit here and write it out. But it makes me smile when I think about how far she has come and regardless of all her bad traits, I love taking her for short rides.

We did pick up one thing over the weekend however that is ready to install at almost anytime. As a matter of fact it has been put in and taken out several times already. It is still being programmed but I have no doubt what so ever that it is going to work out perfectly. It's our new security accessory, and it actually works in all of our cars as well as the house:


It's a four month old Great Dane model and he only weighs in at 65 lbs. but the mom is over 180 and the dad is over 200...so, I should probably hold off on finalizing my plans for the rear suspension.

 

Be sure to give that Dane cottage cheese everyday to build his calcium. My buddy had one and that's what the vet recommended- their bones grow so quickly.

 

hello my name is frank im from holland
i have the same pickup c3b 230 ci inline 6 , both it in the state oregon on internet
now i have a qwestion
il want to make my car lower in the frond
maybe doe you know how ???
al tips are welcom
end are there parts to get in the states
in holland there is nothing for this car
have to make end build everything by my owne
end its gowing wel
sent you pictures of mij car if you like it
on email

greatings from holland dodge driver frank

 

Just a quick thought on the ticking: if you say it happens in a big way when the motor's under acceleration, it could be one of the return springs on the throw-out weights in the distributor's broken. Rather than gradually move out via centrifugal force and slowly advance the timing, it's going all the way and advancing the timing too early and the motor's pinging.

Maybe worth a look: it happened to me.

Cheers, Matt

 

Great build! I'm building mine for my daughter as well, [she's only 4 now....so the sooner I get it done the more I get to test drive it]

 

checking those torgue converter bolts is a good starting point as i have made some really cheap purchases of mopars because of this problem. truck is looking real good so when are we gonna see it at H&E?

 

I was thinking the same thing as George and 55 dude, check the convertor bolts....easy enough to do without major disassembly

 

This weekend...maybe tomorrow even, I will check the converter bolts. Would be nice if that fixes the problem.

Another question for you guys. I rebuilt the Carter 2bbl and replaced the intake gasket awhile back. I don't remember if it did this before (I think it did) but the carb makes a horrible whistling noise till you open up the throttle. Is this normal or do I have something out of adjustment or what? I sprayed around with carb cleaner (the same way I found the intake gasket leak) and don't see/hear anything?

Anyway, got tunes in it today. Just a bunch of things I had accumulated and had laying around but it allowed me to build the dash insert that the radio goes in, cut the doors for speakers and get all the wiring run. So, when I do upgrade all the fabrication work is done. I'll get some pictures of it the next day or so, the dash insert worked out OK I think.

Frank from Holland, I would love to see your truck if you want to send some pictures. The way I lowered the front of mine was by flipping the top leaf over on the spring stack. I have pictures of it in one of the earlier post. Another guy dropped his a little by removing the two bottom springs. It just depends on how far you want to go and how much work your willing to do. By flipping the top spring it drops it about as low as you want to go without having to modify anything else (i.e. steering, oil pan, etc.). If you have any questions, just let me know.

Last but most definitely not least, a buddy of mine received the Medal of Honor on Tuesday, you may or may not have heard about it. But tonight he will be on the Daily Show with John Stewart and tomorrow morning on Fox and Friends if anyone is interested. He is an outstanding individual and I am proud as hell to say that I not only served with him, but that he is my Ranger buddy and my friend.

RLTW!

 

Wow! I saw that interview on him, he is quite a guy. Congratulations to him and you for being his friend. Great job on the truck, as for the paint job, don't knock yourself, it looks really good and it's a daily not a show queen. Your daughter will make look even better when she's driving it with your security system hanging out the window.

 

Sadly, the lame-stream media relegates this story to page three....


RLTW

.

 

Definitely subscribing to this thread,I have a '55 pickup,virtually the same truck.

If you have a chance,could you possibly take some pics of the motor mounts? I have a 318 that would be great for my truck,but It would be nice to see what would need to be done.

 

Sorry guys, I've been out of the loop for a few days.

73RR (I want to type 75 every time...it makes sense). I'm with you bro. But, you know as well as anyone, we don't do the things we do to be on the front page. Hell...I'm just happy somebody reported the story.

Pumpman...thanks for noticing.

Now, on to more important things. I have actually done quite a bit of work to the truck but I have no pictures to prove it. Between getting ready to deploy, move the family, and convincing the (now 75 lb.) security system he is not supposed to sleep in my bed, I've been a little busy.

I will get pictures, eventually, as I always do. But it might take me a couple of days.

Finally, NOT SO FAST, I will get you pictures of my motor mounts soon. But in the mean time, there is another guy (Kevin) on here who has the same truck and some good pictures/advice on motor mounts for the 318. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/member.php?u=134930

Kevin is a good dude and knows the truck very well.

Hit him up, and feel free to ask me about anything. I'll help when I can.

 

Awesome photos man. I have a 15 year old daughter who's wanting something old also.

I need to find something along the same lines as your project.....something she'll like and that I can afford.